Golden Masks and a Dreamy Rescue
by Write-To-You
Summary: Nia's premonition in 4x18 comes true immediately after she has it, and Brainy is captured by the Children of Liberty. With Supergirl taking a step back, it's time for the Dreamer to take part in her first rescue.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Welp, I did another separate story ripppp XD I want to make it multi-chapter though, so that's why.**

**Okay so, I have a feeling that Nia's dream ****_does_**** come true (just because of a few spoilers I've seen and stuff), but I'm doing it my own way so yah.**

**Yo guys I'm looking for a shipping song for Brainia... if you have any suggestions lmk!**

"I'm really not worried, Nia Nal," Brainy said as he swiveled back and forth in his desk chair, generic black-cased phone held up to his ear. "You're not very good at interpreting your dreams.. I'd give it 40/60 at best."

Nia let out an offended squawk, but Brainy's attention was diverted by the sound of the elevator opening. He spun a 180 in a chair and then half rose in shock as three Children of Liberty strode into the room. Their heavy boots clanked on the metal floor and their burnished gold masks glinted dully in the florescent light.

"I'd uh... let's make that 60/40," Brainy said.

"What?" Nia demanded. "Why? Are you o-"

Brainy hung up on her and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. He would not put Nia in more danger with the Children of Liberty than she already was by being Dreamer.

"Gentlemen!" Brainy greeted as the Children of Liberty clomped over to him. "What can I do for you-"

They didn't wait for him to finish his sentence, just grabbed his arms and hauled him out of his chair. Brainy felt a spike of fear stab into his chest as he struggled to break the grip. He couldn't get away.

Alex Danvers, closely followed by Colonel Haley, hurried into the room. "What is going on here?" Haley demanded, staring in outraged astonishment as the masked men dragged her second-best agent toward the elevator.

"Found out that one of your agents is a _roach_," one of the Children spat. "And you all know what we do with roaches."

Alex took a quick half-step forward and opened her mouth, but Brainy sent her a look. "Director Danvers," he said, face neutral. "Do not worry about me. I will... _dream_ about you all while I'm gone."

Alex's eyes narrowed a centimeter and she glanced over at Haley. The Colonel looked back at her and then at Brainy, face extremely displeased. She nodded.

As the three Children of Liberty began to yank Brainy into the elevator, he thought over the decision he had just made. He had changed his mind. It was a rare occurrence (though infuriatingly _not_ rare when it came to a certain quirky brunet), but he had decided that he might just need some rescuing after all.

And he knew just the hero to do it.

**Author's Note: Ack okay I know it's short but it's a prologue and I'll post chapter 2 (well I guess chapter 1 because this wasn't a chapter) soon!**

**Oof I think I'm honestly more bothered by word count than most of you are. Those old reviews got to me lol XD**


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Okay that scene in 4x19 where Nia says that she loves "nerdy boys that think too much" and Brainy's all like: "What does... love feel like?" AHHH MY HEART CAN'T HANDLE IT THEY ARE TOO PURE FOR US :'))))**

Brainy awoke with a jolt, and immediately all of his senses fired up. His hands were trapped behind him with what felt like 3... 4... _5_ zip-ties (overkill, much?), and he was seated in a heavy, wooden, straight-backed chair. His shoulders had been pulled so far back that he had a strained muscle somewhere around his spine.

The room he was in was grimy cement, with a average height ceiling and the smallest rectangular window he had ever seen located high up on the wall to his right. It looked like it was day time outside, but for all he knew the window looked into another room and the lights were just on.

Brainy couldn't remember much from the last few hours. The Children of Liberty had dragged him into the elevator. It had stopped on a lower floor, probably to let in other agents. They had loosened their grips on his biceps as they stood in the elevator, figuring there was nowhere for him to go, and as the doors slid open, Brainy made a few quick dodges and tried to run.

They were faster than he had expected they would be. One of them, the one in the back, took to quick steps forward and slammed the back of his head with his gun. Brainy didn't remember anything after that.

The Children of Liberty, though they had been maybe over-careful about how many zip-ties they put on Brainy's wrists, had made on critical mistake: They hadn't tied his arms to the chair.

Moving stiffly, Brainy got his feet up from the floor and underneath him. Then, wobbling slightly, he stood up and raised his arms with him. They popped right over the back of the chair, and he was free to wander the room.

In the next second, the door banged open and two masked Children of Liberty stormed in, both carrying guns. Brainy hoped to the ground and made a run for the door. The first crony dove at him but Brainy spun neatly to the side, sending him crashing into his partner. Both of the Children taken care of, Brainy set of toward the door.

Then a gunshot rang out. Brainy crumpled.

**linebreaker.**

"Nia!" Alex yelled, hammering on Nia Nal's apartment door.

In seconds, it was thrown open. Nia's hair was falling out of a hap-hazard ponytail, she had her purse slung over one elbow, and only one shoe on. "Alex!" she cried. "Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're here. I had this dream about Brainy and then when I called him he-"

"The Children of Liberty took him," Alex interrupted.

All of the color drained from Nia's face and she put her hand on the doorframe like she needed something to support her. "Oh my God," she whispered. "Like, right from the DEO?"

"Yes," Alex said, her face grave. "Colonel Haley just let them walk out with him."

"How could she-" Nia's eyes were suddenly filled with angry tears. "He's worked so hard for the DEO for _months_, and just because he's an alien she letting them take him? I don't care that they're deputized now; they have no right! They have no-"

She let out a sob and Alex hurriedly put an arm around her. "Hey, hey," she soothed. "It's going to be alright; I promise. We are going to find Brainy, and we're going to save him, before any harm can come to him, okay? But I need your help. As they were dragging him away, he told me not to worry and that he would 'dream' of us while he's gone."

Nia glanced up. "Dream?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "But Brainiacs don't dream, even mostly human ones. So he must have been telling me to get you."

Nia wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and pushed her hair back. "Okay," she said. "I can do what I can to help you. Just let me change first."

* * *

Colonel Haley didn't look amused when Alex came back to the DEO with Dreamer walking behind her. "Director Danvers," she greeted, voice tight. "What a... surprise."

Alex cut right to the point. "Ma'am, I know you want to get Agent Dox back as much as I do," she said. "This is Dreamer. She's been protecting our streets while Supergirl is being hunted by the government. She thinks she's going to be able to help us find Agent Dox."

Colonel Haley let out a long breath. "Fine," she agreed after a moment. A quick, triumphant smile flashed across Alex's face, but it was gone in a second. "Bring her into briefing room two and we'll discuss our next course of action."

"I'd say that went rather well!" Nia cheered as Alex led her quickly through the main room of the DEO. She stilled, smile dropping off her face, when she spotted Brainy's empty desk.

"Hey," Alex said, putting an hand on her shoulder and turning her away from the spot. "We're going to get him back, okay?"

Colonel Haley met them in briefing room two, as promised. She stood on one side of the table while Nia and Alex sat across from her, and waited. "Alright, Dreamer," she said. "What can you bring to the table?"

"Uh, I have these, like, dream things," Nia replied, fidgeting with her hands. "They're like... premonitions. I had one just before Brainy- I mean, Agent Dox- was taken. Three Children of Liberty came in, correct? With gold masks and long guns?"

Colonel Haley's sharp gaze went to Alex. She held up her hands. "I didn't tell her anything, Ma'am. She saw it all in her dream before it happened."

The Colonel's eyebrows went up. "Interesting," she murmured, expression sliding back to neutral in an instant. "So you think you'll be able to... dream where Brainy is?"

"Uh, maybe," Nia replied uncomfortably. "I mean, there's not a 100% success rate yet, and sometimes I dream things and they need to be interpreted. Like they don't always mean what I think they mean. My clearest premonitions come to me when I'm not trying to get them. But I can see what I can do. I can't guarantee anything fast, though."

"Well, I suppose you are the only lead we have at the moment," Haley told her, not sounding very pleased by that. "So... get dreaming, Dreamer."

It was a little bit redundant for a catch phrase, but Nia wasn't about to worry about that right now.

**Author's Note: Okie, Chapter 2 coming soon to a fanfiction site near you!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Time for Chapter 2! Lol I was walking a dog (not mine, I have two cats, just fyi) when I mentally-pre-wrote this first part... such a lovely thing to write on a beautiful sunny day XD**

The second time Brainy woke up, it was much slower and filled with much more pain.

Once his eyelids were light enough to open, he blinked a few times, trying clearing the haze from his brain. There was a dull, mind-consuming throb coming from his midsection and when he looked down, he saw there was a red bandage stuck across his chest.

On second thought... the bandage was white, maybe a light grey. But it had been stained a dark rouge almost all the way through with blood.

Then Brainy remembered. The attempted escape. The shot. Whipping around in surprise only to find that a bullet was sliding through his rib cage. He remembered feeling the world rush up to meet him and then nothing more after that.

He was strapped to the chair again, but this time his legs and arms were belted in place. He couldn't move- not that he wanted to. It hurt enough as it was just to _breath_. Brainy tapped into the AI side of him and did a scan of his own body for injuries. It wasn't the easiest thing to do, but concentrating on it took his mind off the pain.

"Broken fifth rib," Brainy muttered to himself as his brain received the information. "Punctured lung. Not... good."

The clomping boots were back and Brainy glanced up. The world spun and he was too dizzy to see when three Children of Liberty stepped into the room.

"He's up," one of them said. Once Brainy's vision cleared, he noticed that the man was wearing brass knuckles. They almost perfectly matched the color of his mask.

"Hey!" A hand was suddenly jabbing into Brainy's throat. He coughed and began to struggle but he couldn't get anywhere. Pain seared in his chest and black spots infringed on his vision.

"Careful," one of the other guys barked, and suddenly the hand was being dragged away. "You're gonna make him black out again."

"I can be patient," the first man growled.

"Yeah, well Lockwood ain't."

The first man rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he grumbled. "Hey, _Roach_. A little birdie told us that you deleted the registry."

So it seemed Nia Nal's premonition had come true. Brainy let his eyes fall closed for a moment. Talking with Nia on the phone felt like years ago, even though his internal clock told him it had only been about 4 hours.

"Hey!" the first man yelled. He seemed to like the word 'hey' to start each of his sentences. "You gonna answer me, Roach?"

"Was there a question?" Brainy asked, raising his head tiredly.

The first man squinted, taken off guard. He glanced back at the other Children of Liberty standing behind him. The guy who had stopped Brainy from being strangled shrugged. "There kinda wasn't," he admitted.

"Fine," the first man said, rolling his eyes again. "Where is the alien registry?!"

"Didn't you just say I deleted it?" Brainy managed. The punctured lung was making breathing difficult, and he was struggling to concentrate. He had to stall. He wasn't sure what he was stalling for- someone to rescue him? More time without additional pain? Whatever it was, it was better to just keep on doing it.

"He's not wrong," the second guy shrugged.

"What are you, on his side or something?" the first man demanded, spinning around and glaring angrily at his fellow Child of Liberty.

"I just think you're not doing a very good job," the other man replied, shrugging once again.

"Fine! Then you do it."

The second man took the first man's place in front of Brainy. "My name is Arnold," he said. "And if you don't tell us where we can find the alien registry, I will shoot off each of your fingers one. By. One."

Brainy swallowed. Stalling wasn't going to go so well anymore.

* * *

Nia had been searching her dreams for the past two hours, and she had a terrible headache.

Alex came in and set a glass of water and a bagel down on the table in front of her. "Any luck?" she asked, not looking very hopeful.

Nia shook her head, crossed her arms on the tabletop, and planted her face on them. "It's hopeless," she mumbled into her sleeves. "I'm completely useless."

"Hey." Alex put her hand on Nia's shoulder. "You are _not_ useless. You saw this coming before any of us. If Brainy had just listened to you-"

"Yeah, well he didn't!" Nia cried, straightening up. "He said my dream interpretation isn't very good, and he's right! But it'd be better to interpret wrong than to have nothing to interpret at this point."

"Nia, if Brainy thought you were bad at using your powers, he wouldn't have told me to get you," Alex said, looking at her seriously. "He knew that you could do this. He knew you were the only chance he had."

Nia threw her hands in the air. "Well, I guess he's dead then!" she cried, standing up. Then she swayed and collapsed back into her chair.

"Nia!" Alex looked at her in concern.

Nia didn't hear her. She was locked in a dream.

_Brainy's entire shirt was soaked in blood. His face was pale and there was a gun held to the underside of his chin. "If you kill me," he wheezed. "You'll never get the alien registry."_

_"__Yeah, right." The man holding the gun had his back towards Nia's line of sight. His hair was dark and short, bent by the strap of his Children of Liberty mask. "I heard you've got an AI plate buried in there. We dig that out, we find the registry." He snorted. "Not so smart, are you, downloading it to your own _brain_."_

_Brainy's mouth opened. "That- you can't-" But he was too tired to make up a lie. In truth, it was possible. They could do that. Brainy was surprised that they hadn't already._

_Nia looked around her. She was in a cement cell, with a tiny little window high up on the wall. Brainy was strapped to a chair. There was a heavy-looking door in the front of the room, but the rest of it seemed completely solid._

_Nia turned her eyes back to Brainy just as the man cocked his gun. "I'll give you one more chance," he said. "Give us the alien registry and you can keep your head."_

_"__I can't just... give it to you," Brainy said. Nia saw his hands tremble on the arms of his chair. "I've told you that quite a few times now. I'd need a place to download it."_

_"__Like we'd let you get to a computer," the man snorted. _

_"__I swear I wouldn't do anything!" Brainy cried as the man's finger hovered on the trigger. "I wouldn't-"_

_"__Goodbye, _Roach_," the man said, and fired._

Nia sat up and let out a bloodcurdling scream. "_BRAINY!_"

"Nia!" Alex yelled, grasping her arm. "Nia, it's alright, it's alright. What did you see?"

"It's- it's Brainy-" Nia choked out. "They shot him in the- head-"

Then she scrambled for the wastebasket in the corner of the room and was violently ill.

**Author's Note: Okay so my favorite part about kidnaping fanfics is probably the reunion... hbu? **


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: awelrihas dlhawe I'm so GLAAAAD that I was so negligent about watching Supergirl this season because now I can just binge it to my hearts content! And every episode I get to hope for a chance to catch a tiny glimpse of Brainia... life is really good right now ya'll :D **

Alex forced Nia to drink some water once she had gone to the bathroom to clean up a bit. "I'm so sorry about that," Nia apologize, cheeks flushed and mortified. "God, the pain on his face was just _awful_, and-" She shuddered and took another small sip of water. "We have to find him before it happens, Alex."

"Okay, what _exactly_ did you see?" Alex asked.

"I saw a room," Nia said slowly. "Cement, square, small window, heavy door. No other entrances than that door. It was closed when he-"

"Who?"

"A Child of Liberty," Nia elaborated. "Brass knuckles, gold mask, short dark hair. He had his gun at Brainy's throat and was asking him to tell him where the alien registry was. And Brainy told him that he would need somewhere to download it, but the man wouldn't give him access to a computer. He said that after- after Brainy was dead, they would take his AI plate and just get the information themselves. Could they- could they really do that?"

"I don't know," Alex shrugged helplessly. "I think only Brainy would know that." She planted her head in her hands. "I should have never let him delete that registry."

"I was the one who told him to do it," Nia choked out, hands gripping the water so tightly that it shook along with her. "He- he came to me for advice yesterday. Well, okay, not exactly _advice_. He asked me to look into the future to see what he did to the registry. And I- I tricked him into thinking I had, and told him that he didn't, and then he was adamant that he had to, and, well... that gave him his answer. But- but how could I have let him do something so _dangerous_?"

Alex let out a sigh. "It wasn't your choice to make," she told Nia. "Nor was it mine. Brainy did what he thought was right."

"And look where it got him," Nia mumbled, eyes welling. "Alex, we have to find him. He can't- he can't die, he just-"

She let out a shuddering breath and Alex reached over to rub her shoulder again.

Colonel Haley walked in at that moment. "Have we made any progress?" she asked, but her voice was gentle.

Nia nodded. "Uh, a little. I- I saw the future and, well... they kill him. One of the Children of Liberty sh-shoots him in the head."

Her voice wavered, and Alex picked up the slack. "Agent Dox downloaded the alien registry into his own head, Ma'am," she said, her face rigid. "And then he deleted it."

"He did _what_?" Haley demanded, shock scrawled across her face. "I did_ not_ authorize that-"

"No," Alex interrupted. "You didn't. Agent Dox did it because he knew that Benjamin Lockwood would use the registry to attack aliens all over National City, and beyond. He thought that, by deleting the records, it would at least slow the Children of Liberty down and give aliens some more time."

Haley took a heavy seat. It was the most expression Nia had ever seen her show. "So he... he downloaded it into his own head," she repeated. "Didn't he know that that would make him an immediate target?"

"He did," Nia answered miserably. "But he didn't care. He said- he said it was just what heroes do." She scrubbed at her eyes with the heel of her hand. "We need to find him," she repeated for what felt like the millionth time. "But I don't know how. All I saw in my dream was that he was in some sort of cement building. I have _no idea_ how much time we have, or even if we have any time at- at all."

"Nia, do you think you can call back the dream?" Alex asked, brow creasing. "You said there was a door. Maybe you could somehow control your dream enough to walk through it, and see where you are?"

Nia looked dubious. "The only time I've ever been able to succeed at something like that is with Brainy's help," she said. "But I guess it doesn't hurt to try."

Colonel Haley stood up and nodded. "Let me know if you have anything _immediately_," she told Alex. "I'll get a team ready, just in case."

"Thank you," Alex said, nodding back.

Haley left the room and Alex got to her feet. "I'll give you some space, okay?" she told Nia. "Maybe try to eat a little to get yourself in control again. Come get me if you see anything."

"Of course," Nia agreed, and watched her go. She sat back and picked at the leathery crust of the bagel, pulling flakes off and watching the crumbs scatter on the plate. She was afraid to go back inside the dream. She didn't want to see the fear on Brainy's face again, or hear the gunshot as a bullet slid inside his incredibly, high-powered brain.

Nia swallowed, took a long drink of water, and shut her eyes. If she didn't want that future to come true, she had to go back. She had to see where Brainy was.

Her fingers began to tremble with her blue dream energy and Nia squeezed her eyes tighter. She tried to picture every aspect of her dream; the cement walls, the tiny window, the heavy door. As painful as it was, she even brought Brainy's terrified face into mind, the gun denting the skin right underneath his chin, and the back of the Child of Liberty's head. Then back to Brainy, his long dark hair dangling over the back of the chair, tangled, forehead bathed in sweat. His shirt, soaked through with blood.

Suddenly, Nia was there.

_"__If you kill me," Brainy was saying. "You'll never..."_

_As challenging as it was, Nia looked away. She didn't have much time. She hurried towards the door and wrenched it open, noting that there was only a deadbolt on the other side to keep Brainy from getting out, but no actual lock. Then she stepped out of the room._

_She could go two ways: left, or right. She would probably only have time to explore one option. But if she didn't chose fast, she wouldn't have time to choose either._

_Crossing her fingers and hoping for the best, Nia sprinted off to the left. She could see a staircase at the end of the corridor, and figured that was her best bet. As she ran, Nia could see numerous other cells on either side of her. She came to the sudden sickening conclusion that there were more aliens here, locked up. She had kind of figured that Lockwood just killed them, but it seemed that he held them captive, probably let his men torture them... it was terrible._

_Nia finally reached the stairs and bolted up them. She glanced behind her, wondering desperately how much time she had. When she reached the top of the flight, she found a door and shoved it open. It swung shut behind her and Nia turned. It completely blended into the wall. This obviously wasn't something someone wanted to find._

_The room she entered looked like any other comfortable house. There was a young woman with short blond hair sitting at a table with a teenaged boy, looking over what seemed to be his math homework. Nia's eyes flitted around to an adjourning room, the kitchen, and her stomach dropped._

_Ben Lockwood was standing at the sink, washing dishes._

Nia opened her eyes with a gasp and sprinted out of the briefing room almost before she could process that she had been able to access her dream. She found Alex pacing along the hallway and ran up to her then doubled over, panting. She felt lightheaded and out of breath, and she didn't think it was just because of the content of her dream. She had never used her powers so hard before, and it was taking a lot out of her.

Alex grasped her elbow and helped her to straighten. "Nia? What is it? Did you find out where Brainy is?"

"Yes," Nia managed. "Alex... he's in Ben Lockwood's basement."

**Author's Note: I, uh... have no idea if that is a legitimate place for him to be but we're just gonna go with it okay cool thanks :P**


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Was this worth doing it as a separate multi-chapter story? I think it's been nice to be able to do some dramatic chapter breaks that are more impactful than just linebreakers.**

Brainy had managed to keep all of his fingers so far, but he wasn't particularly confident that it was going to stay that way. The three Children of Liberty that had been standing in his cell had dropped down to only Arnold, who was pacing in front of him.

"I can't just _give_ you the alien registry," Brainy was explaining, speaking as slowly as he dared. Any extra time for Nia or the DEO to find him would help in the long run. "I'm not a _printer_; I can't just make something out of thin air."

"So you're basically useless," Arnold said, lifting his gun. "And I can just kill you."

"No!" Brainy cried, speaking faster even as he tried to stay calm. "No, because there _is_ a way I can give you the registry. I need to download it onto a computer."

Brainy had a plan. If he was lucky, Arnold would be stupid enough to let him have access to a computer. Then, while he told the thug that he was downloading the registry, he would send a signal to the DEO giving his location so they could rescue him.

Unfortunately, Arnold was smarter than the average crony. "Yeah right," he scoffed. "Like I'm gonna let you near a computer." He checked his watch. "Alright, _Roach_. I'm going to run this all by my boss and he's gonna give me my next move. You're in luck; he's eating dinner right now, and not even a Child of Liberty gets to interrupt 'family time'." He rolled his eyes, seeming to resent that rule. "You've got a few more minutes to live, congrats!"

Brainy would take it. He had just started to relax when Arnold spun around and punched him in the face. Pain exploded across Brainy's cheekbones and his head snapped to the side.

"That was a reminder," Arnold said, leaning close and pressing on Brainy's gunshot wound. Brainy let out a strained noise, tears leaking from underneath his eyelids. "That was a reminder of what will happen if you try to get out or do _anything_ you think I won't like."

Arnold wiped his blood streaked hand on Brainy's pants, and then turned around and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Brainy let his chin drop. Another tear rolled down his cheek and he sniffed a couple times, hard, trying to keep hold of himself.

"Come on, Nia Nal," he muttered, eyes shut tight against the pain. "Please come."

* * *

Nia and Alex raced down from the second landing to find Colonel Haley briefing a group of agents. She spun around when they ran up to her. "Please tell me you have news."

"I know where Brainy is," Nia said, still panting. "Ben Lockwood's basement. He's trapped, but it's just a deadbolt on the door, no lock."

"Are you sure about this?" Haley demanded. "I will _not_ send my agents on a wild goose chase, or even some elaborate plot to get back at Lockwood."

Alex shook her head. "She's sure," she said. "We have to move as soon as possible."

Colonel Haley deliberated for just a second longer, and then nodded. "Alright, Team!" she yelled. "Let's move out."

Nia watched them filter out, figuring she would follow at her own pace. She just hoped that her dream had been reality, and not something that she needed to interpret.

_Please be where I think you are, Brainy_, she thought, crossing her fingers. _Please_.

* * *

Nia arrived at the scene before the rest of the DEO agents. She had taken her bike and weaved dangerously through traffic, getting honked at and probably almost pulled over at least six times. When she finally arrived at Ben Lockwood's house, breathless, she was relieved to peek in the window and find him still eating dinner.

She had until he washed dishes, or so she hoped.

Nia knew that if Lockwood saw her, he would immediately try to capture her. This wasn't a safe plan, but she had find Brainy before he was shot in the head. Moving as quietly as possible, Nia slipped around to the back and tried the door. It was unlocked, and slid open with a slight swoosh.

This was the tricky part. The door she had seen to the basement had blended in so perfectly to the wall that it would be hard to find quickly. Besides that, she would be in full view of the kitchen, with Lockwood facing in her direction. Nia bit her lip, deliberating, and checked her watch. Where was the DEO? She understood that shipping a bunch of agents and getting them ready for their mission took some time, but Haley should have known that they had to move quickly here.

"Excuse me one moment," Lockwood said, standing up. "I have this bit of corn that's stuck between my teeth- super uncomfortable."

His wife laughed. "Go ahead and get it out," she said, shaking her head at him.

Nia's eyes widened, unable to believe her luck. This was her chance! But to her surprise, instead of heading to the bathroom to floss or whatever, Lockwood walked towards the secret basement entrance and disappeared silently inside. His wife, her back turned, hadn't seen a thing.

Where could he be going? Nia hadn't seen him in her dream. Holding her breath, she hurried after him and moved into the basement, too. She just hoped he wouldn't be in the stairs, lying in wait or something.

He wasn't. But Nia could see him, halfway down the hallway, speaking with the dark haired Child of Liberty she had seen in her premonition.

"Didn't I tell you not to interrupt my dinner?" Lockwood was saying.

"Sorry boss," the Child of Liberty said. "This was important. He says that he needs to download the registry, but he needs a computer to do it."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Like we'd give him access to a computer," he scoffed. "No. I heard that he's got an AI plate stuck inside of him. Just kill him. We'll get it out and we'll find the information ourselves- and maybe a bit more."

The Child of Liberty nodded his ascent and began to walk back to Brainy's room. "Wait a few minutes," Ben called after him. "Just so I make sure I have time to seal the door. Don't need anyone hearing the gunshot."

His crony agreed and Ben turned to head back up the stairs. Nia froze. She could either head out of the basement and risk Lockwood's wife or son seeing her, or she could face him in the hallway.

Hiding felt like the coward's move. Nia was too angry. She stepped down the stairs and came face to face with Ben Lockwood. He looked shocked.

"_You_," he growled. "How did you get in here?"

"I had a dream," Nia shrugged, and flicked two long ropes of dream energy. "Now let me through if you don't want your wife and son to see you get your butt handed to you."

Lockwood growled angrily, but he knew when he was outmatched. He stepped aside and Nia walked quickly passed him, unable to resist shoving his chest as she went by.

"I don't know who you are!" Lockwood yelled after her. "But if you think you can get away with this, you are _wrong_!"

Nia turned, eyes filled with fire. "I can get away with this," she growled. "I can and I will. Because you know what? Brainy is my family. It doesn't matter that we come from two different planets. He is my _family_. I don't think that's something you will ever really understand."

With that, she turned and ran down the hallway. She could hear voices coming from a room a little ways away, and knew she was almost out of time.

As Lockwood opened the door that led back into his house, she heard his cry of surprise, and thudding footsteps. The DEO had arrived.

Nia slowed down slightly. Which door was it? All of them looked the same. At random, she began sliding open deadbolts and yanking open doors on the right side of the corridor. The first two she opened were empty, but the third held two people.

Arnold spun around, his gun flying from Brainy's throat to point at Nia. Brainy's eyes popped out. "N- I mean, Dreamer!" he cried, shocked. "How did you-"

"I'll tell you later," Nia told him, stepping into the room and holding up her hands, blue dream energy flowing around her fingers. "For now, I'm gonna kick this guys a-'

Her voice abruptly dropped off as Arnold got smart and stuck the gun back under Brainy's chin. "We were just establishing that it's actually easier if he's dead," he told Nia, smiling coldly. "But if you don't want to see him be killed right here in front of you, _because _of you, I suggest you back off."

Nia opened her mouth and looked between Arnold and Brainy, unsure of what to do.

Then the door behind her was flung wide and four DEO agents poured into the small space, more behind them, Alex in the lead. She was holding a gun, and it was a lot bigger than Arnold's. "Drop your gun," she ordered. "Or I'll kill you."

"Superheroes don't kill," Arnold scoffed. "It's the biggest insurance of all for us 'bad guys'."

Alex laughed humorlessly. "That's where you're wrong," she said. "Because I'm not a superhero."

Then she fired.

The bullet, as Alex had intended, hit Arnold's hand and he dropped his gun with a scream of pain. It had been a risky shot; just a little to the left and Alex would have hit Brainy in the throat. Her second shot caught Arnold in the leg, sending him tumbling to the ground and wailing in agony.

Nia moved quickly. She raced across the room and skidded on her knees in front of Brainy. "Are you okay?" she demanded, holding his face in her hands and trying to help his eyes to focus on her.

Brainy nodded, wheezing slightly. "I believe... that..." he coughed and blood splattered onto his pants.

"He needs medical attention," Alex said, stepping up beside Nia. "Don't worry, Agent Dox. We'll get you out of here in no time."

Brainy's eyes stayed on Nia. "I knew... I knew that you would find me," he mumbled, eyes fluttering.

"Hey, just stay awake, okay?" Nia murmured, tears welling in her eyes. "Stay awake."

"It's okay," Brainy replied, voice barely audible. "I will... dream about you."

**Author's Note: Yaaaaas there is the real action ya'll! **

**Okay, I love that Brainy is that male character that you can make cry while still totally keeping him in-character! Guys that cry are just so cute to me omg XD**


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: MAYBE I CAN FIT A KISS IN AHH I HOPE SO WE'LL SEE :D **

The cell in Lockwood's basement was a busy place. Two agents were working on dragging Arnold, bleeding and cursing, out of the room. Alex was on the phone with the paramedics, and Ben Lockwood himself was outside, yelling about his rights and how they had no authority to do this now that he-

Nia tuned him out. She stayed knelt next to Brainy, who had fallen unconscious, applying careful pressure in the way Alex had directed her to his gunshot wound. Blood was seeping through her fingers, rolling down her wrist. She had the strange thought that it would have made a very good modern photograph.

With her free hand, Nia was working on untying Brainy's bonds. It wasn't easy doing it one-handed, but she managed to unstrap his legs and upper chest, and then finagled her way around breaking the zip-ties. Once released from the chair, Brainy's shoulders tucked forward and he began to fall over. Nia carefully arranged him in the chair again, watching as his head lolled bonelessly on his neck.

The DEO medics arrived and carried a stretcher down the stairs and into the cell. It took them less than five minutes to carefully get Brainy up, onto the stretcher, and back up the staircase. Alex had threatened to call the police and arrest Lockwood for assisting in attempted murder, so he finally shut up. The other DEO Agents started to clear out, and then everything quieted down just as quickly as it had become crazy.

Alex, the last in the room besides Nia, walked over to the superhero. "Hey, you did a great job today," she said, smiling. "I can't imagine any of this was easy for you, but... you saved Brainy's life."

"Yeah," Nia agreed, biting her lip. "It was a little too close for comfort, though."

Alex nodded and glanced down and Nia looked restlessly towards the door. "Look, I should probably head back to the DEO, to check on Brainy," she told Alex, not even trying to make any other excuse at this point. "I don't want him to be alone when he wakes up."

"No, of course not," Alex said, nodding her agreement. "Go ahead."

Nia hurried out of the door and pushed past Lockwood, then ran up the steps of his basement. She found Ben's wife and son standing in their kitchen, looking at her in shock.

"Hey," Nia said, waving awkwardly. "Sorry about all of that. Uh... good luck with your math homework!"

George looked even more astonished, but Nia didn't wait around for a reply. She ran out the back door, the same way she had snuck in, and headed for her motorcycle.

* * *

When Nia got the DEO, a doctor stopped her from going inside Brainy's room. "They're performing surgery right now to try and get the bullet out," she said. "Please just take a seat and... try to stay out of the way."

Nia didn't appreciate the rudeness, but she _did_ understand. She nodded, let the doctor get back to work, and took a seat on one of the chairs located along the wall. The first half hour passed pretty quickly; she checked in with James to tell him where she was, and then with Kara to explain what had happened. Kara was both surprised and a little proud that they hadn't called her, and Nia just reminded her that it was Kara's turn to have the front seat and that they'd had it handled. And then she added that they would have called her if Nia's dream had failed, and Kara agreed that that probably would have been a good idea.

After talking to her friends, Nia realized that she should probably change. Her shirt and her hands were still stained with blood, so she wandered off to find some spare clothes and a bathroom. One of the agents took pity on her and got her a shirt (wicking, high collar, with the DEO insignia in a little circle on the left side of the chest). Nia changed in one of the locker rooms, and came out in the DEO shirt and her tight leather Dreamer pants and boots. It wasn't her most attractive look, but it was better than being in full costume.

After that, things slowed down to a crawl. Nia sat in the chair and went through her email, Instagram, and Facebook. She took some quick glances behind her at the operating room, but even though it was glass she couldn't see much. She caught brief glimpses of parts of Brainy- his hair or his hand or a blood-stained part of his stomach. He was mostly surrounded by different doctors and surgeons and machines, and it made her uncomfortable to look for too long.

After awhile, Nia's butt began to go numb, so she got up and walked over to the landing. She leaned on the railing, watching the busyness in the DEO slowly filter down. There were plenty of empty desks in the tech support area, but Nia's eyes were always drawn towards Brainy's. She thought maybe it was because every time she had been here, he had either been with her or at his desk. His empty chair was haunting.

Before she could get too wrapped up in her thoughts, someone behind her cleared their throat. Nia spun around to find the doctor that had been so brusk with her earlier standing just outside the doorway. "We've completed the surgery," she said. "Everything went fairly smoothly, though a punctured lung added some complications. With some light therapy and a good amount of rest and recovery time, Agent Dox should make a full recovery."

Nia nodded, relief settling over her like a warm blanket. "Thank you," she breathed. "Can I see him?"

The doctor nodded. "He's asleep at the moment, but I suppose you can hold his hand and say things to him you never would when he was awake." She shrugged, and walked away, calling over her shoulder. "Just press the call button if anything happens!"

Nia nodded once again and hurried into the room, just eager to see Brainy. He was very pale and looked lifeless and Nia took a slow seat beside him. She reached for his hand, which was lying listlessly on top of the covers, and squeezed it between two of her own in a sort of finger-sandwich. It was freezing, so she rubbed it between hers to try and create some heat.

Nia's eyes drifted up to Brainy's face and she took her top hand away from the finger-sandwich, running it through Brainy's dark hair. His face felt cold, too, and Nia had to glance at the monitor just to remind herself that his heart was beating.

"Oh, Brainy.." she mumbled, looking at the shadows his long eyelashes cast on his cheeks. She had never seen him asleep before. "God, I'm so glad you're okay. I was..."

She trailed off and took her hand off of his hair, putting it back into the hand-sandwich, suddenly feeling awkward. "Jeezum, that doctor inadvertently just gave me a huge reality check about what I'm doing right now. I guess, since you're asleep, I just wanted to tell you...'

She dropped off once again, heart somewhere up in her throat. Why was this just as hard to admit while Brainy was asleep as it was when he was awake?

"You just wanted to tell me... what?"

Nia leaped up with a small shriek, dropping the hand she was holding. Brainy's eyes had popped open and he was watching her with a quizzical look on his face.

"Brainy!" Nia cried, staring at him in shock. A dozen questions crowded to be the first in line. "When did- how're you- how long have you been awake?"

"Approximately... 13 seconds," Brainy replied. "But I could, of course, hear everything you were saying. Superior mind, remember." He tapped his forehead, and when he lowered his hand again he held it out to her, suddenly looking awkward. "You could... take my hand again. If you would like."

"Oh." Nia sat down and complied, wrapping her fingers around Brainy's. "Uh... how're you feeling?"

Brainy looked down at himself and peeked under the covers. "Considerably... better," he said after a moment. "Sore. I must admit I don't remember much after Alex shot Arnold."

"Arnold?"

"The Child of Liberty," Brainy explained. "But that is no matter. I believe what you were going to say had some importance to the future of our interactions with each other."

Nia swallowed. He wasn't wrong.

**Author's Note: Okay okay okay I know that chapter end was SUDDEN my gosh buttttt I just wanted to break it into two because compared to the other chapter this was starting to get long soooo yeah I'll post again either later today or tomorrow! **


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Okay! Time to continue the long-awaited conversation.**

"So, um..." Nia pushed her hair back with her free hand. It was about three times messier than it had been when she put it in a ponytail earlier that morning. "I was really worried. About you."

"A common human emotion when someone they care for gets kidnapped," Brainy agreed, nodding.

"Yeah," Nia said. She absentmindedly played with Brainy's fingers, rubbing her thumb across the edge of his nails and fiddling with his hand. "I- I dreamed your future and... I saw you get shot. God- it was awful. Like, I threw up." Nia realized a second after she spoke that that wasn't the most attractive thing in the world and Brainy didn't need to know about it.

He just nodded again. "Seeing a death is... disturbing. It was a legitimate reaction."

Nia blew back her hair and jiggled one leg. "I'm- I'm not very good at saying how I feel," she admitted, scooting closer unconsciously and licking her lips. Her heart was up somewhere near her mouth.

Brainy let go of her hand and reached out, watching his own fingers as he stroked a loose strand of hair back from her face. "I can assure you, Nia Nal," he murmured slowly. "You are much better than I."

Nia leaned forward and kissed him.

Kissing Brainy was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She had had boyfriends before, of course, and even with ones that she had really liked, kissing them hadn't felt like this. Butterflies and tingles burst from her stomach, sending shivers up her spine. When she pulled away her face was flushed and she immediately started gigging, overcoming with a heady and stomach turning mix of giddiness and anxiety. Brainy was looking at her in utter wonder.

"Are you... okay?" Nia asked cautiously when he didn't say anything for a full ten seconds.

"..Yes.." Brainy replied slowly, blinking a couple times. "Yes, yes, I am very much alright. "I, uh... I have never... done that before."

"You've never kissed someone before?" Nia asked, feeling honored and a little alarmed that she was his very first kiss.

Brainy shook his head. "Is it always... like that?"

Nia smiled widely. "So it was good?"

"Good?" Brainy looked bewildered. "How can you- how can you use the word 'good' to describe such a feeling?"

"So it was good," Nia finished, smiling even wider. "I guess it sometimes is, but... only with the right person."

Brainy nodded. "Then this... this makes sense. Because you are... most definitely the right person."

Nia smiled, and kissed him again.

**linebreaker.**

After a couple more days, Brainy was released from the med bay with a clean bill of health. He thought that meant that he could be back in action, working with the DEO again, but Alex put a stop to that pretty quickly.

"You just got kidnapped, shot, and nearly died," she said when he approached her with the news that he would be restarting work.

Brainy paused for a long moment, as if waiting for her to make her point. "And...?"

"And that is a very traumatic experience!" Alex cried. "Just take a few weeks to rest, recover, spend some time with Nia..."

A wide smile spread across Brainy's face at the mention of the woman he already referred to as "his Nia Nal".

Alex pushed her point home. "Girlfriends are always the most needy right at the beginning of the relationship," she told him. "Find a show you both like and curl up on the couch and watch it together. Go out to dinner. I dunno... kiss or something. Just be low-key for a little bit, okay?"

Brainy nodded slowly. "Alright," he agreed. "But you _must_ call me if anything of importance comes up so I can assist you."

"Of course." Alex wasn't planning on doing that unless things got incredibly dire, but Brainy didn't need to know that. "Enjoy your time off."

Brainy walked towards the exit, and Alex saw him pull out his phone. A couple seconds later, he began to talk. "Hello, Nia Nal. I am doing quite well. Would you like to join me in sitting on a couch and watching television that we both enjoy for an extended period of time? Yes... _binging_. Oh. Of course. After work, then. I will... make food. That sounds good. Alright. Goodbye."

Alex smiled, watching as he tucked his phone back in his pocket and practically skipped out of the DEO.

Brainy would be just fine.

**Author's Note: WLERHAS DCHAEW PH AHHHH I really really really REALLY want to write a story where they're dating now OMG!**

**Okay, now that this is over I'll get back to oneshots. I've got loads of ideas (aided by your guys' prompts, of course!) **

**Let me know what you thought of the story in a review! Also throw in your favorite Brainy Nia moment, if you want :) (mine was probably when he called her at CatCo and "asked her out" to dinner XD) **


	8. ACK! PSA and apology

HI! Sorry I know that I posted this story quite awhile ago. But I'm just now noticing that, in chapter 3 (or I guess chapter 4 if you count the prologue as a chapter) I posted a duplicate chapter instead of the one that was supposed to be there. SO SORRY ABOUT THAT! I'm just hoping that if you followed this story you'll see this announcement and be able to see the actual chapter that was supposed to be there.

Again- SO SORRY! Enjoy the new chapter, though :))

— Write-To-You


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